Ralph - Arrested and interrogated by the Stasi (181) - a podcast by Ian Sanders

In this second part of Ralph Hänel’s story of his life in East Germany.
We hear of Ralph’s arrest by the Stasi and subsequent interrogation for 10 months. Ralph describes in some detail the arrest and his early days of imprisonment. He also details the techniques used to try and make him break and the pressure the Stasi also put on his mother. 
It’s an incredible insight into the workings of the Stasi from someone who was there and I am honoured that Ralph shared this story with us. We also hear about his court case and in the following episode we hear about his time in the Stasi prison in Cottbus which with its dark red brick façade was often referred to as the ‘Red Misery’. 
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There’s further information on this episode in our show notes which can also be found as a link in your podcast app here. Other episodes with Ralph are here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode177/ and here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode182/ You can buy Ralph's book here If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook or click here https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

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Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations0:00 Introduction and Ralph Hänel's encounter with the Stasi (Ministry of State Security)
2:21 Ralph's life in East Germany and his dreams of moving to the West7:10 Ralph's arrest and interrogation process by the Ministry of State Security
17:45 The roles of the three interrogation officers and their psychological tactics25:14 The court procedure, sentence, and Ralph's suspicions
28:10 Living conditions in prison and Ralph's relationship with his cellmate32:11 Ralph's mother's interactions with the Stasi and her constant surveillance
43:32 Ralph's audacious move during his interrogation and the involvement of a Western lawyer52:18 The sentencing process, the charges, and Ralph's coerced confession
57:17 The 'modern slave trade' of East Germany's political prisoners and Ralph's resilience59:16 Encouragement to join the Cold War Conversations Facebook group and support the show
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